Real Madrid vs. Tottenham: Things Learned About Spurs from Audi Cup

Tottenham's attempt to win the Audi Cup ended after a 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid on Tuesday in Munich. 

The glamour friendly allowed Mauricio Pochettino to continue to tinker with his side.

The Eric Dier midfield experiment continued at the Allianz Arena to mixed effect. 

Dier struggled to deal with the pace of the game in the early minutes. The young Englishman lost possession twice in the first 10 minutes and also conceded a nasty foul in that period. 

He found his feet as the game went on and brilliantly won possession to spark a counter in the 19th minute. 

Dier does not look especially elegant but is actually a very skillful player. He was forced to deal with some difficult passes but was largely untroubled by them despite the attention of Madrid defenders.  

Although clearly not a natural central midfielder, Dier's natural footballing instincts will mostly keep him out of trouble. He will take time to learn the position.

It would be something of a gamble to start Dier in central midfield at Old Trafford on Saturday, but he certainly looks a decent option if the home side are expected to dominate possession. 

Nabil Bentaleb is one player certain to start Spurs' first Premier League fixture, and his importance to the side was underscored by his immediate impact after being introduced to start the second half. 

His positivity and passing range make Tottenham a far more dangerous side. His presence also frees up the creative players in the attacking line behind Harry Kane to push forward more aggressively. 

Christian Eriksen was liberated by Bentaleb's appearance and began to exert more influence on Spurs' attack. 

Dele Alli has now shone in both his appearances for Spurs. Bright and exciting against the MLS All-Stars, Alli took it to another level against Madrid. 

He looked entirely at home against their star-studded midfield.

Kerstin Joensson/Associated Press

Confident and willing to run at defenders, Alli looks a brilliant prospect.

His shift of possession to nutmeg the fast-closing Luka Modric was particularly delightful. 

There is little doubt that Alli will be in the first-team squad to start the season. 

Goalkeeper Michel Vorm proved that should Hugo Lloris fail to recover from his broken wrist in time to face Manchester United, he will be an able replacement. 

The Dutchman was comfortable with distribution, available for a pass and produced an excellent save after a deflected Sergio Ramos attempt late in the first half. 

Moussa Dembele surprisingly played the full match while filling a number of roles across midfield. There were the typical handful of brilliant moments but, as ever, he gave the sense of being capable of so much more.  

The nature of the goal conceded in the first half would be somewhat concerning in a real match with both full-backs to blame.

Kyle Walker blocked Jese's advance but, having forced him to turn, allowed him the space to float a ball into the box. Danny Rose allowed James Rodriguez to drift away and find the header. 

The confident way that Rose and Jan Vertonghen dealt with a Madrid break in the second half was more promising. 

Gareth Bale secured the victory against his former club with the sort of goal that earned him his world-record transfer in 2013, a powerful shot from some distance that bamboozled the goalkeeper with its dip.

A late cameo from Harry Winks was another reminder of the prodigious output of Spurs' academy. Winks is unlikely to feature often in the Premier League to begin the campaign but will surely get his chance in Europe and the domestic cups. His bright performances in both of Spurs' pre-season friendlies so far have earned him that much.  

Harry Kane is Tottenham's only first-team striker and was forced to play the full match. That is a stark reminder of the importance that Spurs bring in attacking reinforcements before the transfer window closes next month. 

Tottenham sent out a side composed of about half the likely starting lineup for their first match of the new season and looked stronger as Bentaleb and Vertonghen were introduced. 

Pochettino's system is now consistently evident regardless of the lineup, and that is a testament to the decision to focus on training ground preparation over long pre-season tours this summer. 

Ultimately, Spurs looked competitive against one of the world's strongest sides, but issues of fitness and a lack of scoring chances were evident.

Madrid were comfortable, but Pochettino will accept the result for what it is.